Halfmoon judge resigns to run for town supervisor

HALFMOON -- Town Judge Kevin Tollisen resigned his position Wednesday and is preparing to run for town supervisor.

Tollisen said he is just starting the process and will interview with the Halfmoon Republican Committee Tuesday for its endorsement. The committee has endorsed sitting town Supervisor Melinda "Mindy" Wormuth since she was made deputy supervisor in 2007 and replaced Ken DeCerce.

The supervisor's position pays $48,203, plus an additional $18,000 in salary as a Saratoga County Supervisor.

Halfmoon Republican Committee Chairwoman Regina Parker could not be reached for comment Thursday. Neither could Wormuth, and she has not yet publicly announced whether she intends to run for re-election.

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Tollisen resigned his position effective 5 p.m. Wednesday. His letter of resignation was read two hours later at the Town Board meeting with deputy Supervisor Walter Polak sitting in for Wormuth, who was out of town.

Reached Thursday, Tollisen would not address the recent issue surrounding the rejection of Halfmoon resident Christina Abele for the position of director of the county's animal shelter, saying there had been enough said on the issue. Wormuth was a reference for Abele and championed her to the Board of Supervisors.

Tollisen said negative media reports surrounding donations to Wormuth's political campaign from Abele's family and the sale of two homes she and her husband owned at prices above their assessed value -- which prompted her to step down from the county's Public Works Committee -- did not influence his decision to run.

The county Board of Supervisors is dominated by Republicans, and if Tollisen were to win election in the fall, he would become an immediate force, as Halfmoon has the most influence in the county's weighted voting system. Still, he was hesitant to take a position on any county issues and said he did not want to comment on recent actions taken by county officials.

"I'm just a candidate," he said. "I don't want to weigh in on their work."

Tollisen did say Thursday he sees Halfmoon at a crossroads.

"We're experiencing unprecedented growth," Tollisen said. "It's great for our town and for the financial parts of town but it creates problems with traffic and congestion. We need to act progressive and in a responsible manner, and that means we must look at zoning and traffic issues."

A lifelong town resident, Tollisen lives with his wife and two sons. He is an attorney with a private practice.

He said he's seen the town double in size, causing zoning and traffic issues, but he would not go so far as to say those issues aren't being dealt with by the current administration.

"Those issues are not just ours, but ones that affect other towns, too," he said. "We must partner with them. We can't ignore the problem. I want to take active steps to move the town forward and make it a better place."

Tollisen started working for the town as a teenager in its Parks Department. Tollisen has served on the town's Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board and was a town councilman before he became judge. As a councilman, he was part of the committee that purchased the land for the town park.

The town has two judges, Tollisen and Judge Lester Wormuth, Mindy Wormuth's brother-in-law. Each is paid $28,650 annually. According to Tollisen, the supervisory judge of the court's administration has the authority to appoint a judge to temporarily fill his vacant seat or allow the Town Board to appoint one.

Tollisen said he wrote the resignation letter without speaking to anyone in the justice court. In it, he highlighted the efforts of many individuals who help make the court run efficiently.

"I have an extreme closeness with the Justice Department staff," he said Tuesday. "They are the best anyone could ask for."